hi to all
As a leftie I have adapted to much of the right handed world including tying right handed (hook eye to the right, bobbin in the right hand) but I still need to cut lefthanded for fine motor control. There is a big void in lefthanded scissors suited for tying. I can find general use scissors and manicure and embriodery scissors in true left hand but the one source I found for tying scissors, Anvil, no longer makes them. Does anyone have a source for true left handed tying scissors?
thanks

thenks for the quick repiies. alas , there is a real mechanical dirrerence cutting with the left hand. the squeezing action of thumb and fingers pushes the blades apart instead of together and the cut line is hidden by the top blade. the following are from various web sites:
Left-handed scissors have the blades reversed so the top blade is always on the left so that you can see your cutting line and the natural squeezing action of your hand pushes the blades together so they can cut like a guillotine rather than pushing them apart so the paper bends between the blades.
Often, left-handers learn to operate right-hand scissors by compensating with the unnatural hand action of pulling the thumb bow in and thrusting the finger bow outward as the handles close. Some scissors are sold as "left-hand" when only handles are contoured for the left hand but the blades are still arranged for right-hand pressure. The left-hander struggles to cut using the same unnatural hand action.

so if any fly shop owners are reading this please check your back room for that pair of Anvil 70 ultimate lefty series that never sold and let me know!! the company was very nice to me on the phone tho. it costs twice as much to fabricate these and the low demand plus competition from China equals We don't make them anymore.
thanks

I took my scissors and cut with both my left and right hand. I cut with my palm up and palm down. I always cut with the scissors flat against the fly. Since I cut with the tips I just couldn't see any problem. The tips are so thin I don't see how they could block your view. I guess I don't understand the problem.

Are there any other left handed fly tiers that have the problem that fxp is describing?

I took my scissors and cut with both my left and right hand. I cut with my palm up and palm down. I always cut with the scissors flat against the fly. Since I cut with the tips I just couldn't see any problem. The tips are so thin I don't see how they could block your view. I guess I don't understand the problem.

Are there any other left handed fly tiers that have the problem that fxp is describing?

Frank

Frank (or any right hander), pick up a pair of right handed scissors in your right hand and move your thumb & fingers so as to close the blades while watching the relative motion of your thumb verus your fingers. Your fingers naturally pull back in towards the palm of your hand while your thumb naturally pushes away from your palm. If you look at the way the blades overlap on scissors you will see that this lateral motion (thumb away, fingers toward) forces the blades against each other. OTOH, holding the same scissors in your left hand the same action (thumb away, fingers toward) will cause the blades to push away from each other. Left handed people using right hand scissors learn to hook their thumb through the thumb hole on the scissors and pull the blades together so as to get a clean cut. Trust me, do this for an extended period of time and your thumb will ache.

Thanks for the explanation. I was able to get the problem you described with an 8" pair of scissors cutting paper. BUT, I don't have any problem with fly tying scissors. I don't have to open them much to cut with the tips. I found that with the 8" scissors I closed the finger and thumb toward each other. With the fly tying scissors I just move my thumb toward the finger. I did several test and found that my finger didn't move at all. It was the same with both hands. I can cut paper or thread with fly tying scissors, with both hands, with no problem using the tips.

I don't mean to doubt you guys it just caught my attention so I experimented. I guess us right handers took scissors for granted.